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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

The night Che Guevara kept me from sleeping: Sometimes a T-shirt is more than just a T-shirt

I am tired. I worked hard today and I wanted to go to
bed early and get a good night's sleep, but now Che Guevara won’t let me. The
last thing I want to do right now is write a blog post, but sometimes“the muse” isn’t a beautiful young woman or
man who inspires your creativity, it is a damned T-shirt sold at an overpriced
and over-rated clothing chain, which targets empty-headed 20 somethings.

‘Urban
Outfitters has been described as selling hip, kitschy, and ironic merchandise,
for example, T-shirts emblazoned with the words "Jive Turkey" or
"Atari". They are known for catering to "hipster" culture
and fashion, which incorporates an influence from past decades. According to
their website, Urban Outfitters' "established ability to understand our
customers and connect with them on an emotional level is the reason for our
success." The site says that "the reason for this success is that our
brands... are both compelling and distinct. Each brand chooses a particular
customer segment, and once chosen, sets out to create sustainable points of
distinction with that segment" and that "the emphasis is on
creativity. Our goal is to offer a product assortment and an environment so
compelling and distinctive that the customer feels an empathetic connection to
the brand and is persuaded to buy." ‘

And it goes on to have
an entire section titled: “Urban
Outfitters' products have been the subject of multiple controversies,
particularly concerning religious and ethnic issues.” – See the page
for more examples of their “clever and hip” clothing items. Excuse me if I don’t
find the humor or creativity in hate.

Well, “kitschy and
ironic” is no excuse for outright offensive and obnoxious. And if their goal is
to offer something “compelling and distinctive”, they have failed epically this
time with their new Che Guevara T-shirt.

This isn’t their first
controversy, and I loathe giving them attention, as it seems that is part of
their marketing “edgy-ness” and makes them feel like they are making some
profound political statements or SHOVING free speech down people’s throats.
Whatever. It is manipulative and ugly. It isn’t cute and the REAL irony is that
people with too much expendable income are spending WAAAAAAAAY too much money on
an icon of the Communist “revolution”.

I am not going to go
on a political rant about Communism or how it has destroyed the lives of
millions and millions of people. I think that has borne out and most of us who
live in a free society understand that it is a system which denies people
rights and destroys every conceivable remnant of freedom. I have very personal
insights into Che Guevara, as my father is a Cuban émigré and that chapter of
Cuba’s sad history is part and parcel of my life history. (For another time,
when I am not about to drop from exhaustion).

Needless to say, I was heartened to see that a piece was
run in the Huffington Post (so much for the liberal media) which was an actual
letter, which was written by Thor
Halvorssen- Founder, Human Rights Foundation. In his letter, Mr. Halvorssen states:

“We urge you to consider that the image of Guevara represents tyranny and
repression for the millions of people who have suffered under communism.
Fifty-three years after Guevara's rise to power, Cuba is still ruled by the
Communist party, while all alternative political parties and dissenting civil society
groups are outlawed. Any expression of dissent is considered a subversive
act, a free press does not exist, and the government regularly imprisons those
who speak out. Mr. Marlow, the Cuban government of today, a legacy of Guevara,
is the most repressive regime in the Western hemisphere.”

He goes on to say- “For the sake of the 1.47 billion people still
living under the yoke of communist rule, for the sake of the thousands who
perished in the Cuban revolution, and for the sake of the 11 million Cubans who
still endure a totalitarian system, we hope Urban Outfitters will reconsider
its marketing strategy and set a moral example for the apparel industry.”

BOOYAH!

Bravo, and THANK YOU, for saying it so eloquently and
well. NOW I can go to sleep!

Even though they butchered his name, how appropriate, this is damned funny!

6 comments:

"I am very fond of strawberries and cream, but I have found that for some strange reason, fish prefer worms. So when I went fishing, I didn’t think about what I wanted. I thought about what they wanted. I didn't bait the hook with strawberries and cream. Rather, I dangled a worm or grasshopper in front of the fish."

I spent not quite the first half of my Army career defending us from Communism, as a youngster in a Division Artillery here in the States, and then in a Field Artillery Brigade in Germany.

People who think the admixture of Leninism and dictatorship forged in the USSR and its client states was cool do not understand the Gulag, MAD, or the GDP (General Defensive Position). They've never spent a sleepless night wondering if their wives and kids would get out safely in an emergency NEO operation.

In a time when the repression and explotation of the many by the few is all too common. You can rant all you want about Che Guevara. You will never get it and as much as you parade being part of the status quo and political correct fantasy you live in. You are not that special ... most of us are not......John Lennon said it better, We are all peasants.... I am not defending cruelty what I am saying is humans are predators and most systems don't work!

Obviously you are entitled to your opinion, Anonymous poster from October 28. Your comments were pointedly hostile and assume a great deal. And I am not a peasant, not that there is anything wrong with anyone who is. It is clear that you have a different political perspective and experience, and I suppose we will just have to agree to disagree. I appreciate you taking time to read my blog.

The only thing offensive about those Che shirts are the fact that degenerate Capitalists are financially profiting from the image of a Communist hero designed by an uncredited Irish artist. Also the vast majority of Cuban émigrés were fascist Batista supporters (many of them members of the Cuban mafia) and im sure your father was no different.

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